Debathena — The latest version of the Athena operating environment, based on Ubuntu Linux. Also known as Debathena and Athena 10.

Delete (email) — When you delete email it is not immediately erased from the mail server or your local computer. Instead, it is marked for removal. Email marked for removal that has not been purged can be recovered. Deleted email stored on the mail server continues to count towards your quota until you purge it.

Description — Data Warehouse Explorer term: a lengthier explanation of the table or the field in a table. The table and field description contains information about the data in the table and field respectively.

DFS — Distributed File System. The file system used by the WIN.MIT.EDU machines (WinAthena).

DHCP — An Internet protocol for automating the configuration of computers that use TCP/IP.

DIC — Division of Industrial Cooperation (former name of the Industrial Liaison Program)

DID — Direct Inward Dial (DID) number. A DID is a telephone number that can be dialed from outside of MIT, is routed to MIT's telephone network by other carriers on whose network the number may be dialed, and is then connected to an MIT telephone by MIT's voice network. MIT pays for a pool of direct inward dial numbers from outside telecommunications providers.

DITR — Distributed Information Technology Resources (DITR) is IS&T's desk-side support resource. They can visit client sites, have a standing set of fee-based Service Level Agreements (SLA, a kind of contract) with certain departments, and for complicated jobs that would be too difficult to do over phone or email can also work on an on-demand fee basis.

DITR+ — A VIP help service for senior members of the MIT administration and their staff

DITR Plus — A VIP help service for senior level members of the MIT administration and their staff

DSP — Division of Sponsored Programs (former name of the Office of Sponsored Programs)

DSpace — An open-source institutional digital repository developed by the MIT Libraries and Hewlett-Packard Co. to capture, store, distribute and preserve the intellectual output of MIT's faculty and research staff

DSPG — Digital Signal Processing Group (Prof. Alan Oppenheim's research group in the Research Laboratory of Electronics)